I'll Save You Some Pudding!
by Dragonflies
Summary: Clumsy, bumbling, adorable Neville Longbottom loves to take early morning walks alone around the Hogwarts grounds. He doesn’t know it yet, but on this particular morning, Luna will join him. Neville & Luna ONESHOT


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**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Just like to play with 'em.**

**Summary: Clumsy, bumbling, adorable Neville Longbottom loves to take early morning walks alone around the Hogwarts grounds. He doesn't know it yet, but on this particular morning, Luna will join him. Neville & Luna**

**Authors Note: I'm having a bit of writer's block with some of my other stories, so I decided to write this for my readers so they have something to entertain them in the meantime. ;) This is a one-shot for now, but I'm wondering if maybe I can turn it into something more… hmmm… What do you think? Thanks for reading and please comment and review! I would love to hear any ideas you have!**

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Neville Longbottom tiptoed softly across the dark mahogany floor. Searching blindly for his scarf in the early morning darkness, he stumbled and tripped over someone's Quidditch equipment sending a pair of shoes and a shin guard scuttling across the floor. He winced as they slammed against the side of the trunk in front of Harry's bed. Keeping perfectly frozen, he dared to peek out from under one eye. Listening carefully for any movement, a sigh of relief escaped his lips. No one seemed to have woken up. Shaking his head at himself in frustrated annoyance, he noticed the frayed edge of his scarf peeking out from underneath his bed. Grateful to have found it, he immediately bent down to retrieve it and in the process accidentally knocked over a small clay pot filled with freshly planted soil and seeds. Eyes wide, he dropped to his knees and frantically tried to scoop whatever he could into his hands, hurriedly repacking the damp dirt back into the little orange container. Satisfied that he hadn't completely destroyed the budding daisies, he sat back on his legs and sighed.

Last year, at Neville's request, Hermione Granger had bought him a small pack of assorted Muggle flower seeds. He hadn't had any luck with the roses, violets, pansies or snapdragons (he found that name quite amusing), but he had been able to successfully grow three yellow daisies. He was fascinated by them for days, proudly displaying them on the windowsill closest to his bedside, until one day they began to wilt and without thinking he flicked his wand at them, whispering a simple re-growing charm. To his horror the petals immediately dried up and fell off. Smacking his forehead, he remembered that charms didn't work on Muggle plants. He explained what happened and then sheepishly asked Hermione for the favor of obtaining some more seeds. She had smiled at him gently and nodded. Since then, he had been trying to grow more of the happy yellow flowers but wasn't having much luck until yesterday, when he noticed a tiny green stem peeking out from underneath the dark soil.

He sighed again tiredly. It hadn't even been an hour since he had gotten up and already a slew of clumsy things had happened. He hoped that one day, it wouldn't surprise him so much anymore.

Using the bed to pull himself up, he stood and wrapped the scarf loosely around his neck. Checking to make sure the zipper of his gray hooded sweater was closed, he nodded, satisfied, and headed toward the door. Turning the handle slowly he pulled but the door would not open. Frowning, he tried again pulling a bit harder this time. It didn't budge. Exasperated with the way his morning was turning out Neville grabbed the handle with both hands and with a determined grunt, pulled hard.

The door swung open violently, making a horribly loud banging noise and knocking Neville to the ground. Completely convinced he had woken up the entire student population of Gryffindor, he sighed and stood up, ready to apologize for disturbing everyone. But as he listened, no one had made a sound. Ron Weasley was still snoring peacefully in his bed. Dean and Seamus were wrapped up in their blankets like hibernating bears. Harry's arm, which was dangling precariously over the side of his bed, twitched. Neville held his breath, but nothing happened. A tiny smile began at the corners of his mouth. Tip toeing out of the room as quietly as he could, he closed the door behind him and beamed, feeling very accomplished. He might just make it outside without anyone noticing.

Feeling very determined Neville headed downstairs as quickly as he dared. Hands in his pockets he hurried along, peering around each corner to make certain no one saw him. He wasn't avoiding anyone really; it was just that if someone were to find him wandering outside, alone, they'd ask questions. He didn't know exactly why he loved this particular time of the morning so much. A thick fog still slept peacefully at the foot of the school, rolling slowly along the ground giving the illusion of walking on clouds. As he finally stepped out into the courtyard and made his way down the hillside, Neville breathed in the crisp early morning air and immediately felt a sense of peace. Turning to look back at the castle, he glanced up at Dumbledore's window just in time to see his smiling face drift out of view. Neville smiled as well; Dumbledore was the only person who knew of these early morning walks and had never asked him to explain.

Breathing in deeply once more, he continued to walk down the hillside towards a small dirt path that lead to an enclosed spot by the lake. Stepping carefully over several budding flowers, he took his usual spot at the foot of a giant tree, sitting down on the soft grass and resting his back against the ancient trunk. He closed his eyes and smiled, feeling relaxed and content, this morning's unfortunate start, long gone from his memory.

"_Hello, Neville Longbottom."_

Neville's eyes flew open in panic as his heart pounded against his chest in delirious fright. Scrambling to stand up, he stumbled over his own feet and promptly fell to the ground again with a thud. He rubbed his backside painfully.

"_Does that happen often?" _the voice asked curiously.

Neville looked up and was relieved to find it was only Luna Lovegood standing before him.

"_Does what happen often?"_ he asked, wincing as he sat down again on the grass.

Luna tilted her head and pointed to Neville's feet. "_Nargles_", she answered. "_Do they often tie your feet together?"_

Looking up at her, Neville hardly knew what to say. Luna was a bit…odd, but he certainly wasn't the type of person to judge her for it. He tried valiantly to remember what exactly (according to Luna) a "nargle" was, but couldn't for the life of him come up with an answer.

"_Oh, well…um… I'm not sure actually_", he replied.

Luna nodded and smiled pleasantly. "_They're quite devious little creatures. Just this morning they hid my shoes from me. That makes 3 times this week."_

Neville glanced down and saw that she was barefoot. "_Oh, that's terrible_", he said trying to sound concerned.

"_Yes. I suspect the lack of hunky-punks has something to do with it_." She reached into the powder blue bag she wore over her shoulder and pulled out a handful of colorfully coated chocolate candies.

"_Hunky…punks…?"_ Neville shook his head in confusion.

Luna nodded and bent down to scatter a few of the candies on the grass. "_Guardian fairies_", she explained. "_They live in the early morning mist._ _They're lovely, but terribly shy_."

Neville stared at her for a moment before realizing she was being completely serious. He smiled. Luna may have been a bit strange, but he found her to be a rather lovely person to be around. She was an extremely bright witch and a loyal friend. He had immediately been drawn to her from the moment they met. There was true kindness in her silvery eyes; no one could deny she was a gentle soul.

Leaning back against the trunk of the old tree, he relaxed and watched her as she quietly tiptoed over the candies she had scattered about the ground. She peered at each one carefully, her long blonde hair falling over her shoulders, the tips dragging onto the grass. Seemingly satisfied with the placement of each candy, she nodded, in a very matter-of-fact way, and stood up, wiping her hands on the flowing fabric of her ruffled skirt.

"_They fancy chocolate_", she said, suddenly twirling in the heavy fog, enjoying the way the ruffles of her skirt waved in the breeze.

"_The fairies?"_ he asked amused.

She nodded and came to a dizzying stop, swaying slightly. He began to get up from his spot, one hand reaching to grab her if she fell. She smiled pleasantly at him and with a sudden flourish sat down on the grass. Taking her wand out from behind her ear, she placed it beside her and lay down on her stomach. Crossing her legs at the ankles, her feet swayed back and forth. Neville felt a funny fluttering in his stomach as he watched her look off into the distance, absentmindedly playing with a blade of grass.

"_I can see why you like it here so much_", she said softly, breaking their silence. "_It's very peaceful, isn't it_?"

He nodded in agreement, gazing further down the hill to the lake below. Mist rolled over the calm water in sleepy swirls.

"_Do you come here often, Luna?_" he asked.

Smiling, she shook her head. "_Not as often as I'd like_." She paused, considering him for a moment before speaking again. "_Maybe that will change, now that I know you'll be here_."

Neville blushed furiously, staring at his hands. He hadn't expected that answer. The fluttering in his stomach spread slowly up to the middle of his chest. Luna continued to smile at him, a serene look on her face; she enjoyed watching the color of his cheeks turn from a bright red to a rather lovely shade of pink.

She sat up quickly, startling him a bit. Placing her wand behind her ear once more, she stood up. "_Neville, would you like to walk with me a bit?"_ she asked him happily.

Nodding, (maybe a little too quickly) he stood up with her and followed her into the heavy fog.

"_Now maybe the hunky-pucks will eat_", she whispered as they walked away from where they sat.

"_Oh, they haven't eaten the candies yet then?"_ He glanced back over his shoulder.

Luna giggled and twirled in delight. "_Oh, no. They won't come out of the mist unless they know for certain that no one is watching them."_

Bewildered but incredibly amused, he smiled back at her. Luna was dotty, but it was endearing. He wouldn't have wanted her any other way.

They walked along together, talking easily about school and classes. Every so often Luna would skip ahead to examine a leaf on the ground or a bird nesting in the trees. She was fascinated by everything around her; particularly strange looking plants and flowers. She pointed out many as they strolled along, asking Neville for a summary of what each one did and what it was used for. He felt incredibly important as she listened to him intently, her beautifully unique silver eyes shining with excitement and interest. Just being near her made him happy.

After awhile, they found themselves by the lake. A very small, very old wooden dock built precariously over the water, creaked underneath their feet as they sat on the edge. Neville's legs were too long to be able to dangle them off the side, so he sat a few inches back, bending them and hugging his knees. Luna's petite form, however, was the perfect fit and she happily swung her legs over the edge, smiling peacefully as her toes skimmed the water.

"_Neville, do you know how to dance?"_

Confused at the randomness of her question, he shook his head slowly, "_No. Not really. I mean, well, I have tried before but I'm afraid I'm not very good at it."_

"_Yes. Ginny Weasley told me you stepped on her toes quite a bit during the Yule Ball_", she replied calmly, looking out over the water.

He cringed remembering how hard he had concentrated on just trying to hold Ginny's hand without trembling. He couldn't even imagine how he would behave if asked to dance with Luna. He'd probably faint.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, enjoying each others company and the serenity of the landscape before them. Neville watched the long wisps of her blonde hair flutter gently against her face. She glanced over her shoulder at him, catching his stare and he blushed again, flustered and embarrassed. Luna's eyes were kind and gentle as she smiled, seemingly un-phased by the bright red color of his cheeks. He was very relieved to know she couldn't read his thoughts. He was having a very hard time controlling the rate at which his heart was beating and the light fluttering in his stomach had turned into an almost uncomfortable constant hum.

Neville cleared his throat awkwardly. "_The Halloween Feast is tonight, isn't it?"_

She nodded. "_Yes. I hope they'll serve pudding_." Turning to him with wide hopeful eyes, she asked, "_Do you think they'll serve pudding Neville Longbottom_?"

Neville smiled. "_I hope so_."

"_Me too_", she replied dreamily, staring off into the sky.

Tilting his head back he looked up with her, trying to see what was so fascinating, but all he saw were the same rolling clouds of mist circling slowly above them. He risked a peek at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was peeking back at him too. They smiled shyly at each other. Neville felt another light flutter in his chest.

Luna reached into her bag and pulled out a handful of small pink and red gumdrops. "_Would you like one?"_ she asked. "_The pinks are strawberry and the reds are cherry_."

Neville politely accepted and took one of each, popping them into his mouth. Luna carefully selected one heavily sugar coated strawberry gumdrop and did the same.

"_Will you dance with me at the Halloween Feast, Neville?"_ she asked in between chews.

Neville coughed, choking on a gumdrop. He tried to swallow it quickly and then cleared his throat several times before answering her.

"_Erm…well…I, I'm not a very good dancer, Luna. I mean, Ginny's told you…obviously…and I, I wouldn't want to hurt you"_, he said.

"_Oh, you won't hurt me_", she replied, smiling pleasantly. "_We can practice if you like. There's still time_."

"_P-p-practice?"_ he stammered.

Nodding, she stood up and offered her hand.

"_You mean now?!"_ he asked incredulously.

Reaching down to take his hand in hers, he clumsily stood up, completely towering over her once they were standing face to face. She was so small, and even though they weren't dancing yet, he already felt as if he was crushing her. Luna merely smiled up at him, not concerned at all that he was nearly ready to faint from nervousness.

Taking his arm gently, she placed it around her waist, still holding his other hand in her tiny one. Neville gulped and took a shaky breath as she moved one foot to the right. She glanced up at him, "_Now you_."

Nodding quickly, he followed her step, gingerly setting his foot down, careful to avoid her bare feet.

"_See?"_ she said smiling.

Neville chuckled, "_Luna… that was one step. I-I can almost promise you I'm completely hopeless when it comes to dancing. And you're in your bare feet! Oh…_" He shook his head. "_No, I'm going to absolutely crush you_." He anxiously glanced down; she was so tiny he could hardly even see her feet.

"_Try again_" she said simply.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and concentrated. She moved a little to the right again, and he followed. Satisfied he hadn't hurt her yet, he moved again, and then again. Soon they had danced in a complete circle without him stepping on her once. His mouth open in disbelief, he took a step back from her and smiled.

"_I-I didn't step on you??"_ he asked.

Luna shook her head and twirled. "_Not once. You are a very good dancer Neville Longbottom_."

He beamed, more proud of himself than he had possibly ever been in his life. Luna twirled once more and bowed daintily before him. "_Can we try it again?"_ she asked.

"_Yes!"_ he quickly answered. She smiled, her silvery eyes shining through the heavy fog that surrounded them. They danced for a few more minutes, Neville feeling confident enough to twirl her about a bit. Luna danced like a fairy princess. She seemed to almost float above the ground, a beautifully content look on her face. He twirled her once more, and smiled as she came to rest in his arms. Surprised, Neville waited for her to move away, but she only stood there with her cheek resting against his chest, smiling peacefully.

"_That was lovely_", she whispered dreamily.

Not knowing what to do with his hands, he stood there, frozen, with one at the small of her back and the other in a loose grip with hers. A cool breeze floated over the both of them, ruffling her hair underneath his chin. The faint smell of strawberries drifted up to his nose and he smiled.

"_Will you dance with me like that at the Halloween Feast_?" she asked, suddenly glancing up at him.

Looking down into her eyes, Neville smiled and nodded. "_If you'd like_", he said softly.

"_Yes. That would be lovely_" she replied, raising herself on the tips of her toes to kiss him gently.

Surprised at first, he quickly sank into her kiss, forgetting everything around him. The only thing that existed at that moment was the taste of Luna's lips, strawberry, and the feel of her silken hair in between his fingers. When they finally parted, her eyes had clouded over in a faraway look.

"_Thank you_", she said, smiling.

Neville shyly returned her smile as she took a step back, still holding his hand. She turned and looked out over the hillside.

"_I suppose we should get back to check on the hunky-punks, don't you?"_

He nodded in agreement, feeling ecstatic as she tightened her grip on his hand and began to walk toward the grass. They strolled along quietly through the forest and then finally back to the ancient old tree in the clearing. As they approached, Luna pulled Neville along excitedly, pointing at the ground.

"_See there_?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

He scanned the ground but there was nothing there.

"_I don't see anything_", he replied, mystified.

She smiled at him happily, "_Exactly! The fairies came after we left. The candies are gone, don't you see_?"

Grinning at her, he nodded. "_So they are_."

The heavy mist began to lift a bit then, the sun struggling to peek through the clouds far off in the distance. Luna turned to him and tilted her head, "_Thank you for a lovely morning, Neville_."

Smiling, he raised her small hand up to his lips and kissed the top. "_Thank you, Luna. It was brilliant_."

She blushed, a faint pink coloring her pale cheeks. "_Will I see you tonight then_?" she asked.

"_See you tonight_", he confirmed, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

She gazed up into his eyes once more before turning and skipping off happily. He watched her, not truly believing all that had transpired between them. As she reached the top of the hill, she turned back and shouted, "_I'LL SAVE YOU SOME PUDDING!"_

Neville burst into laughter, never feeling happier in his entire life.


End file.
